NY SavOn stores go ethanol-free

Consumers in upstate New York received good news this week that ethanol-free fuel is now available in a few more locations. According to this article in Convenience Store News, the SavOn chain of C-stores in the Oneida area now offers E0:

“At SavOn, we are always looking for ways to meet the needs of our guests,” said Sean Brown, operations director for the convenience store chain. “Making non-ethanol fuel more widely available is just one step of the SavOn Stores’ evolution to provide a convenient shopping experience and a more diverse range of products.”

The article explains the company’s reason for going ethanol-free: “… consumers using ethanol have struggled with fuel separation during storage and in wet environments, as well as “poor engine performance.” The convenience store chain added that owners of snowmobiles, ATVs, boats and classic cars also prefer non-ethanol fuel.” Add to this the owners of over 80% of all piston-engine airplanes in the U.S. which are known to be able to legally and safely operate on lead-free, ethanol-free mogas.

Surprisingly, only one airport in the entire state of New York, North Buffalo Suburban (0G0), currently offers mogas, according to this list and map maintained by GAfuel blogger Dean Billing. As the article on SavOn stores and a long list of New York retail sellers of ethanol-free gasoline on Pure-Gas.org proves, a lack of mogas at airports is not due to a lack of availability of the fuel. Perhaps news of more ethanol-free available at convenience stores in New York will motivate our readers there to work with their airports to make this lower-cost, lead free aviation fuel available.

The GAfuels Blog is written by two private pilots concerned about the future availability of fuels for piston-engine aircraft: Dean Billing, Sisters, Ore., a pilot, homebuilder and expert on autogas and ethanol, and Kent Misegades, Cary, N.C., an aerospace engineer, aviation sales rep for U-Fuel, and president of EAA1114.